Older Australians give smart tech a thumbs up for music and video chat – but not vacuuming
Older Australians with smart tech devices in their homes are keen to play music, video chat family and look at screensavers, but less enthused about robot vacuums wandering their homes, according to a study from Monash University and Deakin University on whether such technology could aid inhome care.
Twenty-three households in Tamworth, Gunnedah and Inverell in regional New South Wales were recruited, in partnership with McLean Care, for the federal government-funded project.
In March 2020, a technician visited each of the homes, determined what technology would be best suited to that household, and then installed the equipment, along with a black box to record data on how residents used the devices. .
Each household had at least three Google Home devices used for voice assistance and for controlling other devices in the home, as well as one iPad. Most had at least one smart light, while some homes were also provided with robot vacuums, Sonos speakers, smart kettles and door sensors.
Participants aged between 73 and 93 were taught how to use the technology and given simplified guides.
Smart lights were set up with timers using specific colours to remind people to take medication.
Through the Home devices, participants had screens showing news and weather, and could play music – things that younger people take for granted, but which proved most popular among the older generation in the trial.
“They loved the music, a lot of them really enjoyed listening to music through a smart speaker and these are people who probably aren’t Spotify users, so the idea of just being able to ask to play a song for you was pretty cool,” associate professor in Monash’s emerging technologies research lab and project, Yolande Strengers, told Guardian Australia.
“One of the surprising things for me was they just like looking at the pictures as well ... just the idea of having these beautiful screensaver images of different parts of the world come up on those devices.
“That was a source of joy for a number of people so it was often those little things that younger generations take for granted.”
Looking at transcripts of questions trial participants asked their Google voice assistant, researchers learned they were quick to ask Google questions about a wide range of topics.
“As the pandemic hit they’re asking Google questions about coronavirus, they used it to ask local information about the weather or the news,” she said.
The study coinciding with the Covid-19 pandemic meant many of the participants appreciated the ability to be able to video call family members they weren’t able to see while restrictions were in place.
Some, however, expressed frustration over the voice commands needing to be precise to work.
“Tell Google to behave. All she gives me sometimes is angina with frustration,” one participant told researchers.
As a result, the popularity of the lights depended on how well they worked with Google’s voice assistant.
Some participants did not like the robot vacuums, finding the device’s routine and recharging confusing.
“Most disappointing. Reduced me to tears at times because he won’t come out of [the] garage room to clean dirty areas but he does his favourite room over and over,” one participant reported.
While it can be a benefit for people with limited mobility, some in the study worried it would make them lazy if they did not have to get up to turn on lights or turn on the kettle.
Fourteen of the 23 households opted to keep the technology permanently once the trial had finished, but cost was often cited as the reason why they would not have otherwise bought such devices.
“I guess I have concerns about whether or not older people would really see value in going out and buying stuff for themselves they might feel is a little bit of a luxury or a gimmick, rather than something that they should spend their very precious budgets on,” Strengers said.
The project also had significant onsite and remote technical support for any issues with the technology. Strengers said it was possible for adult children or grandchildren to install the devices, but in combination with the cost, it might be better suited for government-funded programs aimed at keeping older people in their homes longer.
She said it would always be a supplement, not a replacement for the care they receive.
The participants were extensively briefed on what data the researchers collected, but Strengers said they also expressed concern over what Google and the other device manufacturers might be collecting.
“Having an assistant kind of sitting there and potentially listening to everything. And they sort of dealt with that in a number of ways, they would talk to us about their concern, they would ask Google [assistant] themselves: ‘What do you do?’”
Despite the devices often asking them to sign up for other online services, Strengers said none of the participants had signed up to anything else by the end of the trial.
The average age of the 33 participants was 81, with 19 women and 14 men taking part. Strengers said she enjoyed the enthusiasm and creativity that those who participated in the study brought to it.
“I just loved how this project brought out their playful characteristics and it was so wonderful to see how generous they were with us in terms of engaging and wanting to learn and really just saw so much potential for this.”